How to post on social media for the best chance of getting your dog back.
Include all the most relevant details while keeping it simple.
How to post on social media for the best chance of getting your dog back.
When people lose their dogs, they often post hastily on Facebook, or other platforms, in order to enlist help. That’s a good start, but if you take a few moments to make your post better, it can greatly increase your chances of finding your lost dog.
1. Use a clear, simple, cropped photo.
2. Briefly give the basic details someone would need to know in order to help you, who, what, when, and where.
3. After you post, check back soon and frequently to see if people have questions or information that could help.
4. Be sure to follow the rules of the group or page where you are posting.
5. Later, you may wish to add a link to a page dedicated to your dog.
6. Be sure to update your post once you have found your dog.
You may have a favorite picture of your dog with a cute hat or a picture that is enhanced with effects and sparkles. When your dog is missing, you want to use a very plain and basic picture that shows people the details of how your dog looks. A clear, simple picture will draw more attention and allow people to make matches more easily and quickly. This will also waste less of your time with false matches and questions from people. You can include other photos in the comments, but just use one picture in the initial post, the picture that is clearest and shows your dog the best. Also, be sure to crop the picture so that your dog fills the frame. Don’t use a picture where 90% of the image is background and the dog appears relatively small. Almost all smartphones will give you the ability to crop a picture. If you don’t know how, ask a friend. Don’t use pictures that include people or other animals if you can help it. (If your dog is not currently missing, please take a few simple, sharp, close-up pictures of your dog in case they are ever needed for a lost dog post or flyer.)
Your first post should include the basics. When did your dog go missing? What cross streets in what city? What is your dog’s weight and age? What is your phone number? Is your dog friendly or shy with strangers? Is he wearing a collar or harness? Does he have a microchip? Is he in good health at this moment? You can include more details later, in a comment. Try to stick to the basic details in your initial post. Don’t speculate about what happened to your dog if you don’t know. For example, many people who are missing a pet jump to the conclusion that their dog was stolen. In most of those cases, it turns out there was a different explanation. If people believe your dog is stolen, it can discourage them for looking in common and likely places where pets are usually found. Please also include your dog’s name in the post. You should tell people they should not be calling your dog’s name in this situation, but it is important to have your dog’s name somewhere in the post so people can search for it. It also helps avoid confusion when people are trying to make matches of lost and found dogs.
After you have made your initial post, please check back soon, and frequently. People may be ready and able to help you right away, and if critical details are missing, this can hamper their attempts to help you. Also, someone may know something about your dog, and you could be missing critical information if you aren’t checking the post. We all have smartphones these days, so you ought to be able to check your post even when your are out searching or working on posters. If you aren’t going to be able to check on your post frequently, please assign a friend or volunteer to keep track of it and relay information quickly.
Many social media groups have rules that are designed to make things easier for everyone. In the Facebook group Lost Dogs of King County, for example, there are clearly stated rules that are intended to get information to the right people quickly, avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, and maintain a friendly, helpful environment. People break these rules every day, which puts a strain on everyone, especially the moderators. When you know the rules and follow them, it means people can spend more time helping you and less time dealing with issues.
If your dog is still missing after a day or two, you might want to set up a web page or Facebook page dedicated to information about your lost dog. This can help people coordinate the search effort. If there is news about your dog, updating the dedicated page can get the word out to everyone right away. If your dog has a dedicated page, you can include more pictures or videos that show his personality and his distinctive features. Having a dedicated page for your dog can also make it easier for people to find the information, so they don’t have to scroll through dozens of posts in a group.
Once you have found your dog, please be sure to let everyone know. First, we all like to hear that a dog is safe. Also, once a dog is known to be found, searchers can turn their attention to other dogs. You don’t want someone to be out there actively looking for a dog that is no longer lost.
The quality of your social media post and the attention you pay to it can make a world of difference to your chances of finding your dog. Every day, dozens of dogs go missing in a typical large city. People love dogs and they want to help. You can get the best quality help fastest if you make it easy for people to help you. At the very least, don’t make it hard for them to help you. Give them the best image and information you can.
Please share this post with anyone who has lost their dog.
Examples of pictures that may be interesting or attractive, but less effective for a lost dog post:
Ha ha - This "Examples of pictures that may be interesting or attractive, but less effective for a lost dog post:" just an excuse to post awesome pics of T!! I see through you. :-)
I share the link to your website with anyone who starts a trial adoption with any of our foster dogs. I also make a scent article in front of them and give it to them to keep in their freezer. So far since I started doing that. None of the dogs we fostered have been lost or got loose. Except for one. He has been found fairly quickly each time. But that is another story. He now has a tracking device. I also take a picture of each of our foster dogs that would make a good lost dog poster picture. But I only know I should do this from the info on your website. I want all these dogs to live a long happy life with their adopters with no issues. I also look at this from a point of view as a Volunteer Firefighter. Most everyone knows they should have smoke alarms and change the batteries on those that are battery powered. What if everyone who owns a dog took preventative measures to not have their dog get loose and if it did have a plan on how to find it.